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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28608234">It Calls Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BexYZ/pseuds/BexYZ'>BexYZ</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Community (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Friendship, Gen, Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:40:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28608234</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BexYZ/pseuds/BexYZ</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeff has never been outside of Colorado before. In theory, the ocean seems pretty big and scary. In practice...?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Abed Nadir &amp; Jeff Winger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>It Calls Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jeff took a deep breath and an even deeper drink from the tiny bottle of scotch he’d gotten from the flight attendant. He wasn’t sure it would get him through the half hour delay on the runway, much less takeoff and the two hour flight to California. </p><p>“Are you okay, sweetie?” asked the kind older woman in the window seat next to him. </p><p>“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Jeff said, consciously loosening his grip on his arm rest. His neighbor patted him on the arm and Jeff couldn’t help but feel a little calmer. She reminded him of Shirley. If Shirley was 25 years older and wore slightly too much eyeshadow.</p><p>“Is this your first time flying?” </p><p>“It is. My friend moved out to LA to become a big time Hollywood director and I’ve finally convinced myself to make the trip. I might change my mind, though, if this plane doesn’t take off soon.” Jeff muttered the last three words through gritted teeth. </p><p>“Don’t worry, honey. I make this trip every two or three months to go and see my grandchildren. Just read a book or listen to some music and we’ll be there before you know it.” She gave him a motherly smile as he nodded and reached in his bag for some headphones. </p><p>Jeff did well with takeoff (after downing another scotch to settle his nerves) and tried to focus only on his excitement about the trip. He hadn’t seen Abed for months and he missed his friend. Sometimes he even wished someone would compare his students to a set of extras or explain Greendale’s chaos in terms of character arcs and plot advancement (but he’d never tell Abed that). </p><p>“Would you like to take a look out the window?” his seatmate asked him a couple of hours later. “We’re getting ready to land soon and you can even see the ocean from up here.” </p><p>“Uh...no thanks,” Jeff said, closing his eyes. “I’d rather not be reminded of the distance between me and the ground until the wheels hit the pavement.”</p><p>“Okay, suit yourself, sweetie,” she shrugged as Jeff settled in for landing.<br/>___<br/>Jeff felt a wave of relief rush through him as he exited the plane a short time later. He hadn’t realized how claustrophobic he had been until he was finally able to stretch his legs again. Airplanes weren’t really designed for people of Jeff’s stature and he was feeling it as he walked through the airport.</p><p>He used his height to his advantage, however, just a few minutes later as he scanned the crowd for Abed. He finally spotted a familiar lanky form waving to him from behind a couple working very hard to corral their three children towards the exit. Jeff pushed his way through the pack to grab Abed in a tight squeeze.</p><p>Jeff released his friend from the hug but still held his shoulders to look at him from arm’s length. The younger man had traded his hoodie for an open short sleeve button down over his vintage t-shirt and replaced his long pants with shorts in the California heat. His hair was a little longer than Jeff remembered and his skin was a little tanner. But the gentle eyes and understated smile were classic Abed. </p><p>“You’re looking good, man,” Jeff finally said. “I’m so glad to see you.”</p><p>“I know. I’m glad you’re here too, Jeff.”<br/>___<br/>They took an Uber to Abed’s apartment and he wasted no time in telling Jeff all about the new screenplay he was working on and the television show he was currently a production assistant for. He interrupted his flow occasionally to point out various locations of interest as Jeff took in the crowded streets and throngs of people they passed by.</p><p>Abed’s apartment was small but cozy. It has the movie posters and stacks of DVDs that Jeff associated with his friend’s living space, but he also had a matching set of furniture in the bedroom and a stylish rug in the living room. His friend was growing up.</p><p>“I thought maybe we could go to the beach after we grab some food,” Abed said casually after Jeff set down his things. “Sometimes I like to just go for a walk there after a busy day to clear my head.”</p><p>Jeff’s eyes grew wide. “Uh, yeah. Definitely. Sounds great.”</p><p>Abed looked at him curiously for a minute but decided against commenting on his friend’s unusual reaction. Instead he listed off a few of his favorite local restaurants and they walked to one just a couple of blocks away.</p><p>Jeff didn’t like to tell people that he had never left Colorado before this trip. It had been his first plane ride, his first time in a new state, and soon, his first time ever seeing the ocean. He’d seen pictures, obviously, and saw it all the time in movies, but something about that amount of water all in one place made him both excited and nervous. </p><p>He tried to push any distractions out of his mind as he updated Abed on all of the crazy happenings around Greendale since they’d last gotten together.</p><p>“...And then Frankie had to try and get Garrett back out of the sewer afterwards!” </p><p>They both laughed and talked and reminisced through their meal. Jeff hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. Things weren’t the same at Greendale without Abed, but he was also so proud of everything his friend had accomplished. He thought back to the awkward kid receiving his very first text message in the study room all those years ago and then tried to reconcile that image with the relaxed, confident looking young man in front of him. </p><p>“Are you okay, Jeff?” Abed asked after his friend had gone quiet for a few minutes.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Jeff answered, shaking himself out of his nostalgic state. “I was just thinking about how thankful I am that I asked you for the time and not Starburns or somebody during our freshman year.”</p><p>Abed chuckled. “That would have been a very different pilot. I doubt it would have made it past the first season.”</p><p>“Probably not,” Jeff agreed. “Unless we changed to a murder mystery genre, because I would probably have killed somebody.”</p><p>“You kind of ruined the mystery there, Jeff. Why don’t you let me stick to the pitching.” <br/>___<br/>“Ready to head out? There’s a public beach access not far from here,” Abed said when they were finished with their meal.</p><p>Jeff nodded, a surge of adrenaline pumping through his body as they got up and left the restaurant. </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” Abed asked as they walked up the sidewalk. Jeff sighed. Abed had always been far too observant for his own good.</p><p>“Can I tell you something a little silly?” Jeff asked.</p><p>“Of course. But I imagine it’s not as silly as you think it is.”</p><p>“I’ve never actually seen the ocean before. Thinking about all of that water makes me a little nervous,” he finally admitted.</p><p>“That’s not silly, Jeff. I had no idea. But I have a feeling you’ll change your mind in just a few minutes. There’s really nothing like the beach. But if you still feel the same, we’ll leave. No harm, no foul.”</p><p>Jeff smiled and nodded to his friend. “Let’s do this.”</p><p>They came to a wooden bridge that rose up and over the dunes. Jeff could hear the waves coming from the other side. He hadn’t expected it to be so loud, but it wasn’t overwhelming. He and Abed slipped off their shoes before heading up the steps to the landing above.</p><p>Jeff saw the line of the horizon appear as he made his way up the last steps to the access bridge’s deck. He walked past the two houses on either side until all that was in front of him was sand and water. </p><p>It was so big. Jeff had been to lakes before where you couldn’t see the opposite side of the water, but this was different. He turned his head left and right. The water continued as far as he could see and his brain boggled at the idea of something so vast. So overwhelmingly large. </p><p>He could see the rolling waves, petering out as they reached the shore. He could see out beyond the surf zone, where the water looked calm save for a hint of white breakers sporadically appearing. He had half expected the whole thing would be swirling and churning, like every storm scene in every boat movie he’d ever watched. But this was calm. Peaceful. Still dangerous, still awe-inspiring, but beautiful in its power. </p><p>He could see children running in and out of the water, couples walking down the sand hand in hand, surfers catching waves. But he only had eyes for the sea. He felt like he could stand and look at it for hours, constantly seeing something new and breathtaking. </p><p>He could feel the breeze hit his face and hear the roaring of the waves in his ears. The air even smelled different here, the salt air filling his nose and seemingly travelling through his veins to the rest of his body.</p><p>He wasn’t sure if it had been seconds, minutes, or hours, but finally he felt a hand on his shoulder. </p><p>“What do you think, Jeff? Do you want to go back to the apartment?”</p><p>Jeff broke his gaze away from the miles of water in front of him to look at his friend.</p><p>“We should stay. We should definitely stay.”</p><p>It might have been his first time seeing the ocean, but Jeff was sure it wouldn’t be his last.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title is a reference to Moana. I love that soundtrack.</p><p>Apologies for any mistakes/typos/complete gibberish. It's 3 AM and I'm obviously not sleeping.</p><p>Comments/constructive criticism appreciated! Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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